About Food for All Broward
Food for All Broward is an initiative to expand access to healthy foods for residents of all ages, abilities, cultural and economic backgrounds. By collaborating with local municipalities over the next year, the aim is to increase healthy eating options by co-developing policy and system changes that will facilitate healthier, thriving communities by strengthening and expanding the food system across Broward County.
Solution-Building through Food for All Broward
By working together, we can improve the health and quality of life of all residents through proven and creative ways that local governments have used across the country to make healthy foods more affordable and accessible.
About the Funder
The mission of Health Foundation of South Florida is to invest in and be a catalyst for collaborations, policy and systems change that improves the health of South Florida communities, with a focus on vulnerable, low to moderate income populations. Established in 1993, the nonprofit foundation has awarded over $125 million to nonprofits providing programs and services in Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties. For more information, visit hfsf.org and follow @HealthSFL.
Food Access and Distribution Sites in Broward
Free Meals for Children:
• Broward County Schools Lunch Distribution Information
• Search for free Meals for Kids in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties
Food Distribution for Children and Families:
• Find a Food Distribution Site Hosted by Feeding South Florida (As noted by the website, this changes frequently and may have some cancellations)
• Find a Drive-thru Only Food-Drive Hosted by Farm Share (as noted by the website, attendees must arrive at the locations in a vehicle that has a trunk or cargo bed)
• Apply for the Florida Food Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Click here for information on accessing Fort Lauderdale and Broward County food banks and free pantries
What You Can Do
By working together, we can improve the health and quality of life of all residents through proven and creative ways that local governments have used across the country to make healthy foods more affordable and accessible.
1. Become a Volunteer to Help Increase Food Access During the Pandemic
• Feeding South Florida Call for Volunteers
• The Pantry of Broward How to Help
2. Share Resources & Tell Us What You’re Doing
We will be updating our resources page with new information to stay up-to-date. Have any resources you would like to share with the community? Submit Resources Here
Tell us what you’re doing to keep our community safe and connected during this time! Send Us a Message
3. Stay in the Loop and Join the Food for All Broward Facebook Group!
By interacting in the Facebook group, we can all share and receive up-to-date information about food access opportunities throughout the county and help ensure it gets to most vulnerable-nurturing our communities even virtually. Feel free to invite others to join who may be interested in this group.
Staying Informed
During the Coronavirus pandemic, it is important to stay informed and have access to resources for taking care of ourselves and our communities.
Broward County COVID and General Information:
• Broward County Coronavirus Information
• Florida Department of Health in Broward
• Broward County Schools Updates
• Broward County Student Support Initiatives & Recovery/Staff Information
• The Broward County Office of Economic and Small Business Development Resource Page
• Visit 211 Broward to learn about various opportunities for assistance (e.g., financial, health, general information, etc.) and to learn about resources available throughout the County.
For more information about specific municipalities in Broward County, click here.
Practice Social Distancing, Not Social Isolation
Find ways to stay connected and engaged with others-even if that means virtually for now. Although it is imperative that we practice social distancing, it is also important to stay connected to your family, friends, and community. Check out this article from the American Psychological Association to learn more about the psychological impact of social distancing and ways to cope.
• To learn more about how staying at home can help curb the spread of the disease, click here.
Think You Have the Virus and Need to Get Tested?
If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms, such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your healthcare provider for medical advice. Click here for a set of recommendations provided by the CDC.
• Please find a Florida map of testing sites here.
• Testing sites in Broward with an appointment only.
• Please find available testing locations for Miami, Broward, and The Keys, here.
Spread information and awareness, not fear.
Stay up-to-date on COVID-19 news (though make sure to take breaks for your own self-care). It is important to keep track of credible news updates from reliable sources and to refrain from the spread of rumors and false information. Please check below for important resources regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Funding Opportunities
For School Districts and/or Community Organizations Only:
• Food Plug Project COVID-19 Community Relief Funds
• USDA FNS Disaster Assistance: FNS response to COVID-19 including information on SNAP and WIC waivers.
• Candid: a list of funds specifically established in the wake of coronavirus
Additional Resources
Florida State Resources
• Florida Department of Health Toolkit
The Florida Department of Health’s dedicated call center for COVID-19 questions and concerns is operational 24/7. The phone number is 866-779-6121, or you can email COVID-19@flhealth.gov.
• The Florida Department of Elder Affairs
• Florida Senior Living Association
• Florida Disaster Division of Emergency Management
• Live reporting of COVID-19 by county
Health Information & Expert Guidance
• Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC): Go-to national information source for the latest news, guidance, and resources
• World Health Organization (WHO): Go-to international information sources for the latest news, guidance, and resources.
• American Heart Association: List of resources related to heart health and go-to pages from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the CDC.
• Unidos: Tips to protect yourself and identify symptoms and a list of resources for more information.
• National Alliance for Hispanic Health: bilingual information on the virus.
• Salud America: content about what the situation means for Latino health equity and efforts to help vulnerable communities.
• National Council of Urban Indian Health’s Coronavirus Resources Center (NCUIH): a Coronavirus Resource Center containing official correspondence, press releases, related legislation, fact sheets, news, and events.
• The National Indian Health Board COVID-19 Webpage (NIHB): up-to-date resources, links, and policy and public health updates specifically for Tribes and Tribal communities.
Resources for Schools, Early Care & Education Centers, and Parents
• National Association of School Psychologists: How to Talk to Children about COVID-19
• Child Care Aware of America: News and the latest information to help prepare families, child care providers and policymakers. Also includes ways to share your story or contact your Member of Congress.
• American Academy of Pediatrics: Tips to keep you and your family safe; prepare for school and early care and education centers closures; and reduce stigma. Also includes a list of resources.
• Education Week: Regularly updated map of school closures.
• American Heart Association: Information about USDA waivers so that schools can continue to serve meals during closures.
• Salud! America: Ideas for spreading kindness during the outbreak. Real stories from schools, companies, athletes, and every day people.
• Center for Food, Education and Policy, Teachers College at Columbia University: How School Districts are Feeding Kids During Closures
• Alliance for a Healthier Generation: Key Resources to Support Families, Educators, and Employers
• ChangeLab Solutions: an online resource page with some of the best legal and policy resources to help communities navigate the varied needs that will evolve over the coming weeks and months.
• Johns Hopkins University & Medicine, Coronavirus Resource Center (updated daily)
• Food Research & Action Center (FRAC): The FRAC Advocate’s Guide to the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) (July 2018)
• Food Research & Action Center (FRAC): A guide of nationwide child nutrition waivers during COVID-19 the crisis
• Kaiser Family Foundation: provides the latest state-level data on COVID-19 cases, provider capacity and the various policy actions that states have taken to combat the crisis.
• Child Trends: Recommendations to support and protect children’s emotional well-being during the pandemic.
• YMCA: On-demand workout videos to stay physically and mentally healthy. No membership required!
Do you have a resource you’d like to share? Please email arely@urbanhp.org so that we can post it to this website.
About Food for All Broward
Food for All Broward is an initiative to expand access to healthy foods for residents of all ages, abilities, cultural and economic backgrounds. By collaborating with local jurisdictions over the next year, the aim is to strengthen the food system across Broward County by co-developing policy and system changes that will facilitate healthier, thriving communities.
The Issue
There is a direct connection between the availability and access to healthy foods and diet-related conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity. The good news is that increasing access to healthy foods not only improves public health, but can spur economic development and neighborhood jobs in distressed communities. [1] Healthy food initiatives can increase employment in communities by providing jobs across the food system (from farm to table), attract foot traffic and other retail, provide workforce development and training opportunities, promote environmental sustainability and boost local economies. [2] By working together, we can improve the health and quality of life of all residents through proven and creative ways that local governments have used across the country to make healthy foods more affordable and accessible.
Solution-Building through Food for All Broward
Through Food for All Broward, education and technical assistance can be provided to some Broward County municipalities to develop and implement strategies to improve access to healthy foods in their communities. Municipalities will be assisted in identifying and implementing evidence-based food policy and system change options including farmer’s markets, healthy food zones, updating comprehensive plans and other strategies that have successfully helped communities close healthy food access gaps.
Community Highlights
City of Lauderdale Lakes
Commissioner Beverly Williams of the City of Lauderdale Lakes supports Food for All Broward! Taking an active part in the City children’s garden, she works with local schools, community members and partners to educate the youth on growing fresh pesticide-free fruits and vegetables right in their backyard! The entire Lauderdale Lakes City Commission, including Mayor Hazelle P. Rogers who also signed the Mayor’s Pledge, actively support for healthy access to fruits and vegetables in their communities!
City of Miramar – Video Highlight
Listen to Trinity from Miramar Community Garden share her story on why she chose to become a community garden champion in the City of Miramar!
[1] The Reinvestment Fund. 2011. Healthy Food Financing at Work: Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative. Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative
[2] Healthy Food Access Portal. http://www.healthyfoodaccess.org
Food for All Broward encourages cities to take proactive and bold leadership to expand access to healthy foods. By making a public commitment to promote access to healthy foods, mayors can play an important role in increasing awareness and building momentum for policies and initiatives that can promote community food security, equity, health, environmental sustainability, job creation, economic development, and more. Mayors are encouraged to sign the “Mayor’s Pledge,” promising to make your city a place where food is healthy, sustainable and affordable for all residents. Please encourage your mayor to sign the pledge today!
Two ways of sharing the information with your Mayor:
Featured Posts
Join the Mayors that have signed the pledge!
Fort Lauderdale – Mayor Dean Trantalis
Lauderdale Lakes – Mayor Hazelle P. Rogers
Pembroke Pines – Frank C. Ortis
Pompano Beach – Mayor Lamar Fisher (2007-2018)
Upcoming Events
Please stay tuned for upcoming opportunities.
Past Events
Dear Food for All Broward community,
Thank you for joining us at our virtual convening, Recovering and Building Resilience, on Wednesday, June 3, 2020.
During the convening, we reflected on the many ways that COVID-19 has impacted our food systems and our communities while highlighting and assessing examples of past and current emergency food response action in Broward County.
Together we helped identify ways in which Food for all Broward can continue to collaborate, support, and coordinate local and regional food system partners, in order to continue to sustain and help build a more resilient community.
Did you miss the convening? Access the convening recording below:
Event Recap
The 2nd Annual South Florida Food Insecurity Summit
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Co-hosted by Feeding South Florida + Humana
The 2nd Annual South Florida Food Insecurity Summit took a deep dive into the issue of food insecurity in South Florida, the resulting economic and health implications, and included solutions-driven break out sessions designed to collaboratively increase food access by strengthening the food system.
Food system-driven topics included:
Policy Solutions (Led by Urban Health Partnerships/ Food for All); Retail + Agriculture; Health + Wellness (Led by Humana); Technology (Led by Feeding America); Charitable Response
Food For All Broward Convening in Dania Beach
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Building Economic Development Through Food Access
Encourage Your Mayor to Sign the Pledge!
By making a public commitment to promote access to healthy foods, mayors can play an important role in increasing awareness and building momentum for policies and initiatives that can promote community food security, equity, health, environmental sustainability, job creation, and economic development. Your mayor can sign the pledge by clicking here or downloading the pledge and emailing it to arely@urbanhs.com.
To learn more about Food for All Broward, please visit:
https://urbanhp.org/food-for-all-broward/
January 29, 2019 Convening
July 2018 Convening
May 2018 Convening
January 2018 Convening
Resources
Food for All Fact Sheet
Food for All Broward is an initiative to expand access to healthy foods for residents of all ages, abilities, cultural and economic backgrounds. By collaborating with local jurisdictions over the next year, the aim is to increase healthy eating options by co-developing policy and system changes that will facilitate healthier, thriving communities by strengthening and expanding the food system across Broward County.
Food for All Broward: Preventable Diabetes and Food Deserts in Broward County
Policy changes that make healthier foods more available, accessible, and affordable for vulnerable residents living in food deserts and high diabetes ZIP codes in Broward County could greatly curtail future cases of diabetes. This fact sheet from Food for All Broward presents findings from our analysis of the relationship between diabetes and food deserts in the County. The confluence of diabetes and food deserts is clear: The majority (68%) of the County’s food deserts are located within high diabetes ZIP codes. Food deserts tend to cluster within clusters of high diabetes ZIP codes, mostly between I-95 and the Turnpike. The findings suggest that communities face inequities, particularly a lack of access to healthy foods, that contribute to increased risk of diabetes.
Food for All Broward: 2020 Policy Audit Assessment Summary
In 2020, FFA added thirteen more municipalities (26 total) to the policy scan and changed the methodology. This time, we focused more on food-specific policies, eliminating the “allied policies” search. Several jurisdictions adopted robust food-specific policies, which bring the total number of policies to 76. For highlights on the 2020 Policy Audit Assessment Summary, please see the Food for All Broward: 2020 Food Policy Assessment Fact Sheet.
Food for All Broward: 2017 Policy Audit Assessment
Food for All Broward conducted a policy audit to understand the existing food policy landscape in 13 of the Food for All Broward focus jurisdictions. Three general categories of policy documents were collected and analyzed for each jurisdiction: Comprehensive plans, Master Plans and/or CRA Plans, and Ordinances. This fact sheet provides a summary of the policy audit findings for each municipality.
Free Food All Broward Technical Assistance
Through Food for All Broward, UHP will provide free technical assistance to participating municipalities to develop and implement policies to improve access to healthy foods in their communities. UHP will work closely with participating municipalities to identify and develop evidence-based food policy and system changes that have successfully assisted communities to close healthy food access gaps. Any pending request should be received by October 31, 2018, and all will be completed by March 2019. All Technical Assistance requests will receive data and GIS mapping as back up for the selected healthy food policies and diet-related disease policies. Municipalities also may find this information useful for their future grant-making.
Food for All Kick-off Workshop Presentations 1/18/18
Expanding Healthy Food Access in Your Community
Policies and Lessons from Across the Nation
Dwayne Wharton, Director of External Relations, The Food Trust
Elsi Rose, LEED AP, Development Management Coordinator, City of Miramar
Michael Alpert, AICP, LEED AP, Principal Planner, City of Miramar
Expanding Healthy Food Access in Your Community – Data
Anthony Olivieri, MURP, Founder, FHEED, LLC
Food for All Kick-off Workshop Presentations 5/23/18
Spring Workshop Powerpoint Presentation
-Presentation on Municipal Food Policy Audit by Anthony Olivieri,
Food for Health, Environment, Economy, and Democracy (FHEED)
Other Helpful Resources
The Food Trust
The Food Trust is a nationally recognized nonprofit that works with neighborhoods, schools, grocers, farmers and policymakers across the country to develop a comprehensive approach to improved food access that combines nutrition education and greater availability of affordable, healthy food. The website features useful fact sheets, case studies, videos and reports.
Good Laws, Good Food: Putting Local Food Policy to Work for Our Communities Toolkit (PDF)
This toolkit is geared towards local food policy councils and local food advocates—those who have identified a challenge or opportunity within their community’s food system and want to make an impact through policy change. The toolkit provides a starting place to understand the basic legal concepts surrounding local food systems, develop a base of knowledge about the main policy areas, and discover examples and innovations from other localities.
Healthy Food Access Portal
The Healthy Food Access Portal brings together the rapidly growing body of research, best practices, resources, and policy information for community members, practitioners, advocates, entrepreneurs, and others who are committed to ensuring that all communities have equitable access to healthy, quality, affordable food.
Healthy Food Policy Project
The Healthy Food Policy Project features a curated, searchable database of innovative local healthy food policies, a crosswalk of local laws and policies, organized by food system category and type of law, and case studies that showcase healthy food policy initiatives around the country.
Program Contact
To partner with Food for All Broward or for more information about the initiative, please contact:
Arely B. Lozano Cantu: arely@urbanhp.org